Chihuly Collection

Downtown St. Pete has a lot of gems. A gem that sparkles extra bright is the Chihuly Collection on Beach Drive. Dale Chihuly is the master of glass. The glass art featured in this collection will have you marveling at just how impressive a bunch of glass can be. Whimsical, creative and magical are some of the terms that come to mind.

The Chihuly exhibit goes with the approach of quality over quantity. The Collection is not a full museum, and it certainly does not take long to explore. You could walk through and see everything in as little as 10 minutes, but because you will be stopping, staring, and awing at the art, you will likely spend 30 minutes or more inside. In fact, you may even want to go back through and see it all again. It's really that impressive. There is also a brief film you can watch before or after you explore the art. The film gives you a behind the scenes look at how Chihuly and his team work their magic.

The Collection contains the famous Chihuly chandeliers (my favorite), as well as other stand alone art pieces. Some of the pieces hang from the ceiling, and you could easily touch them but I wouldn't recommend it. (Who would want to be responsible for breaking a beautiful piece of Chihuly artwork? Not me.)

My favorite piece

Yes, this is all glass

Hours for the exhibit are 10-5pm Monday-Saturday and 12-5pm on Sundays. Too bad they aren't open weekend nights because this would make a perfect date night. A dinner on Beach Drive and a leisurely stroll through the Chihuly Collection sound like the perfect evening to me. Whenever you go, you'll be lucky to have an up close and personal view of some amazing art. For an extra Chihuly fix, head over to the Vinoy Hotel and check out the Chihuly piece in their lobby.